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Posts for tag: porcelain veneers

If your smile is, to put it mildly, “unattractive,” you may think only extensive and expensive dental work can change it. But depending on your teeth’s actual condition, you might be able to obtain a new smile with a less-invasive option: porcelain veneers.

As their name implies, veneers are thin layers of dental porcelain bonded to the front of teeth to cover imperfections. They’re custom designed and manufactured by a dental technician to match the natural color, shape and size of the teeth they’re covering and to blend with neighboring teeth.

Veneers are quite effective for heavily stained, chipped or moderately misaligned teeth that are otherwise healthy. They can even be used to address slight gaps between teeth and restore worn teeth to make them appear larger and more youthful.

Overall, they’re less invasive than other dental restorations. That said, though, most veneers will still require some alteration of the affected teeth. This is because although quite thin they can still appear bulky after they’re bonded to the teeth. We can minimize this by removing a small amount of a tooth’s outer enamel. While this alteration is modest compared to other restorations, it’s nonetheless permanent– your teeth will require some form of restoration from then on.

Veneers also require special consideration while biting. You’ll need to exercise care and avoid biting hard items like candies (or using your teeth as tools) or the veneer could break. Similarly if you have a teeth grinding habit, you may want to consider having a custom guard created that you wear at night to prevent solid contact between your teeth. The excessive force generated while grinding or clenching teeth could also shatter veneers.

Veneers may not be the answer in all cosmetic dental situations, such as extensive disfigurements or bite problems. To know for sure if your particular dental condition could benefit, see your dentist for a complete dental examination and discuss whether obtaining veneers is a viable option for you. If so, you may be able to gain a much more attractive smile from this less invasive but no less effective option.

We now have an amazing repertoire in dentistry to restore the look and function of damaged or missing teeth. From tooth-colored crowns to life-like dental implants, we can turn an embarrassing smile into one you’re confident to show the world.

But what if your teeth are visually unappealing but structurally sound? Perhaps they’re slightly irregular or discolored — do you still need the “heavy artillery” in our arsenal of restoration options?

Not at all — dental veneers that provide amazing aesthetic results with minimal tooth preparation may be an appropriate restoration choice for you. As the name implies, veneers are a thin layer of dental material (usually porcelain) that’s permanently bonded to the outside of a tooth. Veneers can be shaped to resemble natural teeth — especially effective for changing the appearance of small or slightly misshapen teeth — and can be customized to match an individual patient’s tooth color.

Veneered teeth require very little preparation compared to other restorations; still, most veneer applications do require some permanent enamel removal so that the applied veneers appear natural. In recent years, however, changes in veneer design and materials have made it possible for some patients to receive veneers without some tooth prep.

If taken care of properly, veneers can last anywhere from seven to twenty years (in some cases, more). While their material composition and the bonding process can withstand normal biting forces, wearers need to keep in mind porcelain is a form of glass — excessive twisting or pressures from excessive grinding habits could cause them to shatter.

And because veneers are made of an inert, non-living material, they can’t adapt to any changes that may occur biologically to your teeth and gums and may need to be updated at some point in the future. The good news is that a loosened veneer can often be repaired.

If you’d like to know if you’re a good candidate for this cost-effective, minimally invasive option, visit us for an examination. Balancing all the factors, porcelain veneers just may be your answer to achieving a better smile.

Porcelain veneers are positive proof that unattractive teeth don't always require an intensive restoration to regain their beauty. These thin layers of translucent porcelain — custom-designed and color-matched to blend with your other teeth — are permanently bonded to the visible side of your front teeth.

Although they can't remedy every tooth defect, they're well suited for mild to moderate disfigurements like chipping, staining or gaps. There are now two types of porcelain veneers: the traditional veneer and the “no-prep” veneer.

The standard veneers require some tooth structure removal, referred to as “tooth preparation.” This is because although they're a millimeter or less in thickness, they can still appear bulky if bonded to an unprepared tooth. To accommodate their width, it's necessary to remove some of the tooth enamel. This permanently alters the tooth so that it will need some form of restoration from that time on.

In recent years, however, other veneer options have emerged that reduces — or even eliminates — this tooth alteration. No-prep veneers are so thin they can be applied to a tooth with virtually no preparation. A more common option, minimal-prep, requires only a minor reshaping with an abrasive tool to ensure the fitted veneer looks as natural as possible. Because of their thinness, these veneers also don't have to fit under the gum line like standard veneers.

To obtain no- or minimal-prep veneers, your tooth enamel needs to be in good, healthy shape. They're also best suited for people with small or worn teeth, narrow smiles (the side teeth can't be seen from the front), or slightly stained or misshapen teeth.

Because there's little invasiveness, these low preparation veneers won't typically create tooth sensitivity and they can often be applied without any form of anesthesia. And because tooth structure isn't removed, they can be “uninstalled” to return to your natural look. Of course, that's not always an easy process since the bonding between veneer and the enamel is quite strong, although today's lasers can be used to detach the veneer quite easily.

If you'd like to consider these minimally invasive veneers, talk with your dentist. If you're a good candidate, you may be able to gain a new smile without much change to your natural teeth.

Porcelain veneers have become a popular way to transform a smile. They're ideal for stained, chipped or slightly misaligned teeth. But although they don't need as much tooth preparation as crowns or other bridgework, the traditional veneer still requires some permanent tooth alteration.

Now, there's an alternative: no-prep veneers. With this option we can avoid any tooth structure removal or keep it to a minimum. And it may not even require local anesthesia while applying them.

Veneers are as their name implies: a wafer-thin layer of tooth-colored porcelain that's bonded to the outside of a tooth, much like siding on a house. Although the traditional veneer is usually no more than a millimeter in width, they can still add an unnatural bulky look and feel to a tooth. To compensate, we remove portions of the enamel. A tooth permanently altered this way will henceforth require some form of restoration.

No-prep veneers are much thinner; they also don't extend under the gum line like traditional veneers. At the most the new veneers may only require us to perform some minor reshaping of the enamel, but not to the extent of traditional veneers. And because your tooth isn't permanently altered, we could presumably remove the veneer and return the tooth to its natural state and appearance (although removing the bonding might not be that easy).

There are some situations where some tooth alteration may still be necessary, like oversized or forward-jutting teeth. A bad bite (malocclusion) may require orthodontic treatment first — which in some cases could be an alternative treatment to veneers altogether.

To find out if you're a candidate for no-prep veneers, visit us for a complete examination. From there we can discuss your options and whether we can transform your smile with little change to your teeth.

Nothing says confidence like a bright, beautiful smile. But problems with your teeth’s appearance — discoloration, abnormal shapes, or gaps — may be giving you reasons not to smile. If so, you may be a candidate for porcelain veneers.

A veneer is a thin covering of porcelain or other dental material permanently attached to the face of a tooth to improve its appearance. Veneers help resolve a variety of aesthetic issues: their life-like color can brighten dull, stained teeth; they can “lengthen” shortened teeth caused by wear or normalize congenitally misshapen teeth; they’re also helpful in reducing small gaps or used in conjunction with orthodontics for more serious misalignments.

The first step to a better smile with veneers is to assess your teeth’s current condition and develop a treatment plan. Your input is extremely important at this stage — what changes you believe would improve your smile. We would also offer valuable insight, based on our knowledge and experience, into what is realistically possible and aesthetically appealing regarding porcelain veneers.

Once you have decided to go forward, the next step is to prepare the teeth for attaching the veneers. Depending on their size and location, this preparation can range from no tooth structure removal to a relatively small amount of structure. If the latter is needed, we remove only what’s necessary to achieve the aesthetic result since structural reduction isn’t reversible.

After preparing an impression of your teeth, we would send it and other instructions to a dental technician to create the permanent veneers. In the meantime, we’ll install a temporary set for you to wear while the permanent set is under construction.

Once we attach the permanent veneers, they will adhere so securely a drill or laser would be needed to remove them. We achieve this attachment by creating microscopic pores on the face of the teeth and the inside of the veneer with a mild acid solution. The bonding cement seeps into these pores and creates a strong bond that virtually unites the tooth and veneer into one.

Although your new veneers are made to last, you’ll need to maintain them like your other teeth, with a little added caution when biting and chewing. All in all, though, you’ll be able to smile again with confidence — for many years to come.